"This piece was a commission that I had been wanting to do for some time. Fortunately the client gave me carte blanche to create whatever I envisioned. I wanted to explore a very loose and rough texture to add more character to the piece. Cats are very smooth and much of the musculature is hidden which can make them look a little flat. I like to activate the imagination of the viewer as much as possible to get the brain to fill in all the detail by suggesting the muscle structure beneath the skin and hair. I also wanted to use an unconventional pose that captures the speed, lazer focused intent and the constant direction changes inherent in the pursuit of prey. In this case the eyes are locked on to the prey but the cheetah is actually veering to the right as it closes in for the intercept."